A breakfast staple is taken to the next level with this recipe. French toast is coated in cinnamon toast crunch then pan fried and topped with maple syrup. It’s crunchy, sweet, and full of cinnamon from the inside out. It’s extremely easy to make on a lazy weekend. Kids and picky eaters will love this version of french toast.
Jump to Recipe
Jump to:
- About The Cinnamon Toast Crunch French Toast Recipe
- What Is French Toast?
- Why Use Cinnamon Toast Crunch?
- What is the Best Bread to Use?
- Tips and Tricks
- How the French Toast Is Made
- What to Serve with Cinnamon Toast French Toast
- Storing The French Toast
- Still Hungry? Check Out These Delicious Breakfast Ideas!
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch French Toast
About The Cinnamon Toast Crunch French Toast Recipe
This is not your typical french toast recipe. The fluffy bread is coated in egg, cinnamon, and vanilla but then it’s coated in crushed french toast cereal adding the crunch and cinnamon sugar flavor we all love. If you or your kids are sick of eating a bowl of french toast cereal, this is one of the best ways to use it up!
For this recipe you’ll need only 7 ingredients, most of which are staples and you probably already have in your pantry/fridge. You’ll also need a pan to fry and two deep dish plates or pie plates for dredging the fluffy bread.
This is a great breakfast to splurge on. It’s easy to make and once you’ve got your assembly line created you’ll be knocking out french toast in no time.
What Is French Toast?
French toast is a common breakfast which includes a thick slice of bread, soaked in beaten eggs, milk, sugar, and then pan fried usually with butter. It’s typically topped with powdered sugar, bread, fruit, or syrup.
Sometimes you can find it called eggy bread, bombay toast, gypsy toast, or poor knights. This all depends on where you are in the world.
There are many international variations of french toast which are also great and some are served as a savory dish instead of sweet. French toast has been around for a very long time in both its sweet and savory forms.
Why Use Cinnamon Toast Crunch?
Out of all of the cereal varieties out there, why use cinnamon toast crunch? Well, there are many reasons. First and foremost it’s one of my favorite breakfast cereals. Second, the biggest flavor of cinnamon toast crunch is the cinnamon sugar. With that being said, cinnamon and french toast are one of the most common and best flavors pairings.
French toast alone isn’t a very sweet bread, so the cereal adds the sweetness that it’s missing. This means that you can enjoy the cinnamon toast crunch with syrup but you don’t necessarily have to since the cereal makes it sweet.
Not to mention it’s easy to crunch and sticks to the french toast easily. It pan fries nicely on the toast and it develops a caramelized flavor as it fries with the toast and butter.
What is the Best Bread to Use?
So what is the best bread to use for cinnamon toast crunch french toast? Three of the most common breads used are brioche, french baguette, and challah. You really can’t go wrong with any of these varieties. You should think beyond basic bread and go for something freshly baked for the best results.
Brioche is very similar to traditional bread. One big difference is that it’s made with an enriched dough and it tastes sweeter. It also has a richer taste than your traditional bread in a bag. It has a golden outside and a fluffy middle that’s just amazing.
French bread on the other hand is a long, thin bread that comes from the French origin. It’s a very simple bread only made with four ingredients. The outside is perfectly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. If using, you should buy a loaf and slice into 1 inch slices to make the cinnamon toast crunch french toast.
Challah is a yeast bread that is very similar to brioche. The biggest difference is that brioche contains a lot of butter while challah contains oil instead. It too is soft and sweet. Challah is beautiful because it’s braided which adds texture to the top. The softness and sweetness of this bread makes it a perfect decision for cinnamon toast crunch french toast.
On the other hand, if you’re not in the mood to experiment or try something new, you can simply stick with a store-bought pre-sliced thick cut bread. This does the trick every time and it has a longer shelf life. You can even make sandwiches out of it later if you don’t eat it all with this cinnamon toast crunch french toast recipe.
Tips and Tricks
Making french toast is delicious, however, I do have some tips for you that will help you make the best cinnamon toast crunch french toast without making the mistakes I have made previously.
- Thick sliced bread is a must - using a thick slice of bread will ensure that the bread soaks up all of the egg milk mixture which packs more goodness into each slice.
- Do not use a high heat - keep your heat low-medium to medium heat. Since the cinnamon toast crunch cereal is made with sugar, it can burn VERY easily. It’s better to start with a lower heat to see what your french toast can handle. Use a spatula to look at the toast and make sure it’s not burning periodically.
- Use a non-stick pan - this will keep your dishes easy and can help prevent burning. Egg burns very easily, especially in a non-stick pan and especially if your surface isn’t completely greased.
- Don’t skip the butter - I don’t recommend using cooking spray, vegetable oil, or anything but butter for this. Butter gives the cinnamon toast crunch french toast a deep rich flavor that compliments all of the flavors perfectly. Without this, you’ll be lacking flavor big time.
How the French Toast Is Made
Step 1: Get all of your plates in order. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and ground cinnamon until well combined. Make sure your eggs are beaten completely. Place the mixture in a deep dish plate. Set aside. In a bag add the cinnamon toast crunch cereal and crush with your hands or use a spoon. Make sure to leave the cereal crumbly, we don’t want sand. Add to a plate and set aside.
Step 2: Place a pan with butter over low-medium to medium heat and let the butter melt. Use enough butter to cover the bottom of your pan. The amount you use may vary depending on the pan you’re using.
Step 3: While that’s heating, take one slice of bread and dredge it in the egg mixture then into the cinnamon toast crunch cereal. Shake any excess off and place into your heated pan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until your bread has cooked and is starting to brown. If you notice the cereal burning simply reduce the heat and flip to the other side to prevent it from cooking anymore.
Step 4: Once done, serve with fresh fruit, powdered sugar, maple syrup, honey, or just the way it is.
What to Serve with Cinnamon Toast French Toast
There are so many ways to serve this cinnamon toast crunch french toast. We have a lot of people with a sweet tooth in our home so we love to add sweet toppings to the cereal crusted french toast. Just a disclaimer here, this toast is perfectly delicious on its own and doesn’t need these toppings. If you’re like us and you like toppings try adding the following:
- Fresh fruit - strawberries, bananas, blueberries, blackberries
- Maple syrup - I’m not talking about the maple flavored syrup, I mean true real maple syrup. Yes it’s more expensive but the flavor is totally worth it
- Honey - our favorite is orange blossom
- Butter - place a slice on top right when it comes off the pan so it melts over top
- Powdered sugar - this makes it more sweet but not overwhelming
Storing The French Toast
Cinnamon toast crunch french toast is easy to store. Simply place in an air tight container and keep in the refrigerator for four to five days. Refrigerate within two hours of cooking for the best results. To reheat simply place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees and bake for 5-10 minutes until heated through.
If you’re looking for a more long term storage option, consider freezing. To do so, place the cinnamon toast crunch french toast in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until partly frozen. This will take anywhere between 1-2 hours. Place the fresh toast into freezer bags and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat from frozen allow the cinnamon toast crunch french toast to thaw completely and then reheat in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until reheated completely. Keep in mind that freezing and reheating may cause the french toast to become soggy.
Still Hungry? Check Out These Delicious Breakfast Ideas!
Scrambled Egg Whites with Tomatoes and Feta
Cinnamon Toast Crunch French Toast
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 slices thick cut bread
- butter for frying
- maple syrup
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour into a shallow dish and set aside.
- Place the cinnamon toast crunch cereal in a bag and crush into small pieces. Place into a shallow dish and set aside.
- Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat and let melt. Use enough butter to cover the bottom of your pan. The amount used will vary based on the size of your skillet.
- While the butter is melting, place the bread into the egg mixture and coat both sides. Then, transfer the coated bread to the cinnamon toast crunch mixture and coat both sides.
- Place the bread into the skillet and pan fry each side for about 3-5 minutes or until each side has browned and cooked. If you find that your cereal is burning, reduce the heat and flip.
- Serve the cinnamon toast crunch french toast with butter, maple syrup, and or fresh fruit.
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